The Cat Came Back
by wolviesgal
Summary: Vacations are bad things.


I wrote this a few years ago and only posted it to a few selected lists under my now defunct pen-name. Basically, the time frame for this is anything before the introduction of Diana Fowley at the end of the fifth season, although there are really no spoilers for anything. Although, beware, a bit of a cheese warning...  
  
Summary: Vacations are bad things.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
The day was cold and dismal. *Perfect weather for today's event* thought Dana Scully as she climbed out of the driver's seat of her car. She shut the door and just stood there for a moment, not really believing that this day was actually happening.   
  
Almost out of nowhere appeared her mother and Skinner, each flanking her on one side. "Dana, why didn't you let someone come pick you up?" asked her mother. "It was a long drive and you shouldn't have made it alone." Her mother was worried, and with good reason. Scully had been walking around with no trace of emotion since it all started.  
  
"Mom, I'm fi-" her voice cracked and her eyes filled tears at the ever-familiar words. *Those are the words I always used on him. Trying to keep him at a distance. And look where that's gotten me.* She shook her head, blinking back the tears and trying to clear it of the unpleasant thoughts. She needed to be strong in order to make it through all this. "Mom, I'm okay. I just needed time to sort some things out before this." Before her mother could say anything else, she turned and walked towards the rows of chairs set up.  
  
Mrs. Scully just stood there with tears running down her face. Skinner just sighed and said, "Why does she have to be so damn stubborn?" He could see as plain as day how much she was hurting. "Everyone knows how close she and Mulder were, and I can't figure out why she's trying to act as though she and he were nothing more than mere acquaintances." He crossed his arms and stared at the retreating figure.   
  
"Dana's too independent. Over the years she has built walls around herself that were so high and strong that no one has been able to get through them." said Mrs. Scully quietly. "I thought that if anyone could break them down it would have been Fox, but now..." Her comment died in her throat as she began to cry. Skinner just wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her in the lost of the man she had long since adopted as one of her own.  
  
Meanwhile, Scully was sitting in the front row of the chairs staring at the picture of Mulder. It was taken recently, a shot from a crime scene only a few weeks before. Mulder had been crouched down examining a piece of evidence when Scully had snapped the picture, trying to use up the remainder of the film. He looked so serious, deep in thought. *As he always was.* she thought with a sigh. *I still can't believe he's gone.*  
  
------------  
  
It had only been a short while after the picture had been taken that her whole world came crashing down around her. Skinner had been on the two of them to take some time off. They had been working non-stop, but it wasn't anything that they weren't used to already. The agents were on a roll and they couldn't see taking a break and risk ruining their streak. But Skinner had been adamant. He ordered them to take week off to relax.  
  
The two agents returned to their office following their meeting wondering what they would do with themselves for seven entire days. As usual, Mulder was complaining about spending any time away from the X-Files.   
  
"Scully, this isn't fair," whined Mulder as he flopped in his chair and put his feet up on his desk. "I hate vacations. That's why I never take them." He grabbed a couple of sunflower seeds out of the bag he always kept handy and popped them in his mouth.  
  
"Oh come off it Mulder. Time off isn't the end of the world. And you're not in the hospital or injured. Think of it as a novel experience," she smirked, earning a glare from her partner.  
  
The two worked for the rest of the day trying to tie up as many loose ends as possible before beginning their forced vacation. Mulder finally sat back in his chair and flipped the power switch on his computer.  
  
"You know, Scully, I think that's the most work I've done in one day.," he said, giving her one of his patented goofy grins. He stood up and grabbed his jacket. Likewise, Scully powered down her computer and gathered her things.  
  
"It's amazing what one can do when there is no other choice.," she said on her way out the door. "If only I could get you to work like that every day." In response, Mulder threw a balled up piece of paper at her.  
  
"Scully, you wound me." He pulled out all the stops and went with the hurt puppy dog look. It was almost enough to make her relent. Almost, but not quite. She used the book in her hand to give him a good wallop on the shoulder. "Ouch! What was that for?"  
  
"Just for being you, Mulder" she sighed as they approached the elevator. Perfect timing. It arrived just as they did. As the doors slid shut she turned to him. "So, what are your plans for our banishment?"  
  
"Banishment? Interesting choice of words. Hmm... I think I might just do a little sightseeing up the Eastern Seaboard. I haven't been up that way in a long time. Who knows? It might even be fun." He was actually starting to get into this whole vacation idea. "What about you? Any big plans?"  
  
"I was actually thinking of visiting my mother. It's been too long since I've been to see her." In truth, she was a little disappointed that he seemed so eager to go away without her. She had just figured that they'd spend the weekend hanging out at each other's apartments eating pizza and watching movies.  
  
Once in the parking garage, Mulder turned to head towards his car. Scully couldn't let him go without making one last ditch effort to try and spend their only off time with him. "You know, Mulder, you're more than welcome to come along with me. Mom would love to see you." He turned back to her and seemed to ponder it for a moment.  
  
"Thanks Scully, but I think I'll just stick to my road trip. Relive my younger years." he grinned. "But ahh... umm... " He paused.  
  
"Yes Mulder?"  
  
But he seemed to think better of what he had planned to say because all he did was hug her and say, "Nothing, I'll see you next week." He waved as he sauntered around the corner to his car. Scully just shook her head and turned in the direction of her own car.   
  
It was late Sunday afternoon that Scully got the call that would forever change her life.   
  
She was lounging in a chair on the deck reading a novel she had bought months earlier but never had the chance to read. Beside her, her cell phone rang shrilly. Without a thought, Scully picked up the phone and automatically said, "Mulder, we're on vacation. That means no cases. Okay?" But it wasn't Mulder on the other end.  
  
"Um, ma'am? Is this Special Agent Dana Scully?" the voice on the other end asked. Scully went pale, with every possible thing that could have happened to Mulder running through her head. Finally she managed to croak out a yes. "Well, ma'am, I hate to call you with this, but you are the first on the list of emergency numbers for a Agent Fox Mulder."   
  
Scully cried out and dropped the phone. She dropped her head into her hands and just started shaking. She forgot about the person on the phone until her mother appeared beside her. "Dana, honey, what's the matter?" Scully was so choked up she could barely speak. All she do was croak out Mulder. "What is it? Is Fox on the phone?" She picked up the discarded cell phone and said, "Hello? Fox?" There was a pause and then, "No, this is her mother speaking. Is there anything I can - Oh no... " At that point she got up and walked down to the other end of the deck. Dana couldn't hear what she was saying anymore. All she knew was that something happened to Mulder.   
  
Scully suddenly jumped up and ran inside. She took the stairs two at a time, racing upstairs to her room. Her bag was already packed and she was halfway down to the front door when her mother finally caught her.  
  
"Dana! Wait a moment. Don't go tearing off yet." Mrs. Scully held her by the arms, trying to keep her under control.  
  
"Mom, I have to go! Mulder is in trouble and I need to be there!" Scully broke away from her mother and reached down to pick up the duffel bag she had dropped. She turned and started towards the door when her mother stopped her in her tracks.   
  
"Dana, Fox is dead."  
  
Scully dropped her bag and sank to the floor, her hands covering her ears, repeating the word "No" over and over again. Mrs. Scully dropped beside her, wrapping her arms around her daughter.  
  
"Dana, honey, I'm sorry but he is," she said quietly. It was much later before she ever heard what happened. Apparently, getting into the spirit of his vacation, Mulder decided to go on a whale-watching cruise. At some point while they were out there, problems with the gas tank and the engine arose. When the coast guard had arrived all that was left was widespread debris. No remains were found. After extensive searching, they gave up all hope that anyone survived the explosion. None of the passengers were accounted for, but according to the officers, that was not unusual in occurrences like these.  
  
------------  
  
Gradually, Scully became aware that someone was talking to her. She blinked and looked up at her mom, trying to understand what she had been saying. "What was that mom?"  
  
Mrs. Scully sat down beside her daughter and again looked at her, wondering if she was going to make it through this ordeal. "Dana, it's about time that we begin this. Everyone seems to be here." Scully nodded. "Are you going to be okay?"  
  
"I'll be fine mom," and with that she stood up and walked over to the podium. She stood at it, her knees shaking and her hands firmly gripping the sides. She looked out over the crowd and recognized a great deal. She took a deep breath and addressed the crowd. "Good afternoon everyone and thank you for coming. We are here today to mourn the passing of Fox Mulder, a very good friend." She paused looking down at her hands, trying to keep her composure.   
  
Suddenly, a ringing broke through the silence. Looking up, she saw a red faced Skinner hauling a cell phone out of his overcoat striding over to a less populated area, out of earshot of those at the service.  
  
Sighing, she continued with what she had to say. "How does one describe Mulder? At his best, he was still the most confusing person I've ever met." A small smile played across her lips as she thought about him. "He was devoted to his work and lifelong quest to find the truth. A firm believer in the unbelievable. And the best friend I ever had." Tears welled up in her eyes and threatened to spill over. She blinked them back, hoping to make it through this without losing it completely. "Don't get me wrong, Mulder could be a self-centered bastard. Being woken up at three in the morning to go investigate a case loses its charm really quickly. But he would go the ends of the earth if I needed him to, just as I would have for him." That was it, the tears were falling.  
  
Scully focused on Skinner over by the cars. She watched him pace around in circles, waving his arms in the air. From experience, she knew that he was using that not-quite- yelling tone of voice with the person on the other end. And she felt for whoever it was. In the background, she could hear the birds in the trees chirping. *They sound too happy* she thought. *Mulder's dead and they are acting as though my heart did not stopped beating along with his.* She knew it was irrational, but rationality was the furthest thing from her mind. It only slightly registered that along with the birds, she could hear the distant roar of a helicopter.  
  
"He took so many chances with his life and always managed to come out on top. He was a cat with nine lives. But like every cat, he finally ran out of lives." A sob escaped her lips. She whispered, "I still can't believe he's gone."  
  
All of a sudden, the helicopter was no longer background noise. It was directly over top of them all. Scully looked up and squinted. *It looks as though the pilot is planning on landing that thing right here* she thought to herself. As if the pilot were reading her mind, the helicopter dropped in altitude, heading for a vacant section of the lawn behind the seats. People began standing up and moving back, bewildered at what was going on. Scully, on the other hand, was raging. As she pushed her way to the front of the crowd, intent on punching out the individual responsible, it dawned on her that the people around her had fallen into a shocked silence. Moving the last few people out of the way, Dana Scully came face to face with the person responsible for this spectacle. And the sight of him damn near made her faint.  
  
Standing in front of her was none other than Fox Mulder.  
  
It took a minute for her to realize that he was actually there, and that this was not just a wonderful delusion. He had his arms around her and was hugging her for all he was worth before it actually sank in. There was only one way to respond to all this. She pulled her head back, met him forehead to forehead, nose to nose, with tears streaming down her face.   
  
"I love you, Fox Mulder," she whispered. "And if you ever put me through anything like this again, I swear to God I will kill you myself." A goofy Mulder grin played at the corners of his mouth.  
  
"I believe you, Scully," he said with mock seriousness. "You've shot me over less." She couldn't help it, with everything as overwhelming as it was, she laughed. He smiled, bringing his mouth to hers, finally finishing what they had attempted to start so many times before. Breaking off the kiss, Mulder whispered back, "I love you too, Scully."   
  
The two finally realized that they had forgotten about their audience. Looking around, they were surrounded by Skinner, Mrs. Scully, the Gunmen, and the helicopter crew. Everyone else had left, since it was apparent that there would be no funeral to attend. It was Mrs. Scully who finally broke the silence. "Fox, do I even want to ask how?" she asked, wondering how he managed to get himself out of this one.  
  
He sighed and shook his head, mumbling something about not being the most pleasant of topics. She just nodded her head, not really understanding at all, but not willing to push the matter.  
  
Finally, Frohike spoke up, "Mulder, it's great to have you back among the living, but we should really be getting back. You know, conspiracies and cover ups don't take vacations."   
  
Mulder nodded, "No problem guys, I'll catch you later." The three started walking off in the direction of their VW bus. "Oh, and guys?" They turned back. Mulder broke out onto a big grin, "Thanks for coming to my funeral."  
  
The three just shook their heads and kept on going, this time singing a little ditty:  
The cat came back  
The very next day  
Oh, the cat came back  
They thought he was a goner  
But the cat came back  
He just couldn't stay away...  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
I know, a bit of a cop-out on the ending, but hey, author's rights, eh? :) 


End file.
